Light Reading preps online event on streaming videoLight Reading preps online event on streaming video

Although the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has postponed its annual convention in Las Vegas next month, Light Reading is still going ahead with plans to stage a forum on next-gen streaming video then.

Only now we're turning our planned, on-location breakfast forum about streaming video at the annual NAB Show into an all-digital event. The approximately 90-minute virtual event, "Taking Streaming Video to the Next Level," will take place online, starting at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, April 20.

Why are we tackling this subject? As everyone knows, streaming video is simply exploding right now. With such media behemoths as Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, AT&T and Discovery all plunging into the space, the OTT video market is clearly shifting into higher gear as more and more consumers cut the pay-TV cord and opt for more appealing streaming alternatives.

But, even as new and more advanced streaming services come to market, numerous major hurdles must still be cleared for them to survive and thrive. These hurdles include key technical, operational, security, business model, service quality and navigation challenges of delivering next-gen OTT video to viewers.

The April 20 virtual event, co-hosted by the Streaming Video Alliance, will tackle all these issues. Video industry experts from across the spectrum will assess the streaming video market, evaluate the latest entrants, examine the major challenges and debate how the industry can reach the desired goal of OTT Video 2.0 – a scalable, stable, secure streaming platform that generates regular, predictable revenue and income.

The 90-minute session will consist of a research presentation, fireside chat and panel discussion. So far, the speaking roster includes: Steve Nason, director of research at Parks Associates; Mitchell Weinraub, director of product management at Dish Network's Sling TV/AirTV operations; Jim DeChant, VP of technology at News-Press & Gazette Broadcasting; and Rob Holmes, VP of programming at Roku. More speakers are expected to join as well.

So, even without our usual eggs, bacon, bagels and coffee, it promises to be a sizzling experience. Please join us on Monday, April 20 for this digital event. Click here to find out more information and register for the event.

See you all online.

— Alan Breznick, Cable/Video Practice Leader, Light Reading